Method of and apparatus for making belts



1934- w. B. FREEMAN 1,969,067

IETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BELTS Filed Sept. 16. 1932 2Sheets-Sheet l 1 mm 62 .51 -49 ZZ/ZEE ,Bfiseman j idlr 'r Aug. 7, 1934.w. B. FREEMAN METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BELTS Filed Sept. 16.1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIII inf-2b).?

Patented Aug. 7, 1934 x rArE r OFFICE METHOD 'or-ann'maaarus FOR mama II y I .nnurs 2 Walter B. Freeman, Cuyahoga an... Ohio, as-

signor to The ..B. -F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application September 1 1932. Serial No. exam. v

- 9 Claims. (Qua-4) This. invention relates to a method ,of andapparatus for making power transmission belts and relates especially tothe manufacturepf belts comprising a fibrous non-elastiqcore embedded ina bodyof elastic rubber compound. The principal objects of the inventionare to. provide a methodand apparatus whereby accurate alignment pfcthefibrous cores within the rubber body may be accomplished and to providea method and apparatus whereby operations on a plurality of belts may besimultaneously conducted. v

Other objects will appear from the following description, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings. I

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the 'belt formingapparatus with a band.0f belt forming material.

thereon, part of the band being broken away, Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the apparatus v Fig. 1, parts templates the provision of a pair ofbeltcore supporting drums 10 and 11 spaced from each other inparallelism and each provided with aligned grooves 12 for supporting aplurality of non-extensible belt cores 13 in spaced arrangement. 15horizontally journaled in bearings 16 and 17 in a pedestal 18. The otherdrum 11 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 19 supported by a crosshead 20,slidably mounted on a pair of rods 21 and 22 horizontally disposed at 90degrees to shaft 16 and having their opposite ends supported by thepedestal 18 and a second pedestal 23 spaced therefrom. A feed screw 24,arranged parallel to rods 21 and 22, and journaled in' pedestals18 and23 engages a threaded lug 25, carried by cross-head 20, and is providedwith a handwheel 26, whereby "the drum 11 ma be adjusted with respect todrum 10.

Power from any convenient source suchas an electric motor .(not shown)is applied by means of a belt 27 to a pulley 28 mounted on a shaft 29journaled in pedestal 18 and parallel to shaft 15. Shaft 29has fixedthereon a'pair of. sprock-, ets 30 and 31 from which apair-of clutchmembers 32 and 33, rotatably mounted on a counter shaft 53, and providedwith'fixed sprocket wheels 34 and-35, are driven by chains 36 and 37. Asprocket 38 mounted on shaft 53 engages a chain 1 tioii.

Drum 10 is mounted on a, shaft fixed to shaft 15. A clutch member 41 isslidably .39 which in turn engages a sprocket wheel 40 mounted on shaft53 and feather keyed thereto.

may be operated to engage either the clutch 'member 32 or 33. The. upperend of yoke 42 is forked to engagebetween a pair of collars 44 and 45,slidably mounted on a rod 46, fixed to pedestal 18. A pair ofcompressioncofl springs 47 and 47 'encircle the rod 46 and each impinges a wall ofthe pedestal and one of the collars 44- and 45, the arrangement beingsuch that the yoke 42 and clutch member 41 are normally heldin a centralor disengaged posi- A pedal lever 481s axed to shaft 43 and may bedepressed, thereby compressing spring 47 and engaging clutch member 41with clutch member 32 and causing drum 19 to rotate at a slow speed,

sprockets 30 and 34 being of such respective sizes as to cause areduotion'in speed between shafts 29 and 53. On release of pedal 48,shaft 53 will be disengaged from clutch member 32.

A shaft 49 is journaled 'in pedestal 18, parallel to shaft 43' and hasfixed thereto a pedal lever 50 and a gear 51. A gear 52 fixed to, shaft43 engages gear 51, the arrangement being such that when pedal lever, 50is depressed spring 47 is .compressed and clutch member 41 engagesclutch member 33 causing drum 10 to rotate u at a higher speed,sprockets 35 and 37 being of such respective sizes as to cause anincrease in speed between shafts 29 and 53. On release of pedal 50,shaft 53 will be disengagedfrom clutch member 33. 9

An arm 54, fixed to pedestal 18 and overhanging the drum 10, supports afluid pressure cylinder 55 in which a piston 56 is adapted to be raisedor lowered by fluid admitted to the cylinder through ports 57 and 58. Apiston rod 59 attachedto piston 56 has a cross-head 60 ata tached to itsupper end which in turn is attached to the .upper ends'of a pair of rods61 and 62, vertically slidablein arm 54. The'lower extremities of rods61 and 62 arev formed to provide bearings for a horizontally disposedshaft 63 which has a roller 64 mounted thereon, the arrangement beingsuch that when fiuid isfrom 72 is rotatably mounted on rod. 65 betweencollars 66 and 67 and supports a knife bar 73 in which a plurality ofknife blades 74 are mounted in spaced relation facing the drum 10. Ahandle 75 fixed to arm 72 provides a convenient means of forcing theblades toward or retracting them from the drum, the arrangement beingsuch that the stops 70 and 71 limit the travel of the blades.

Where more than one of the non-extensible cores 13 are to beincorporated in a single belt the grooves 12 in the drum 10 are arrangedin sets with knife clearance grooves 76 between sets and the knifeblades 74 are spaced to correspond with the arrangement of knifegrooves.

In practicing the method of .this invention a plurality of endlessnon-extensible cores 13 are arranged to encompass the drums 10 and 11and seated in the grooves 12 provided therefor.

' The spacing of the drums may then be adiusted to tension the coresas'by adjustment of the hand wheel 26 of the device Just described. Theroller 64 is brought into engagement with the cores 13 on'the drum 10and a sheet of unvulcanized rubber materialis fed between the cores 1sand theroller 64, the drum 16 being rotated" for this purpose,preferably at a slow speed. The roller 64 causes the sheet material to Ibe pressed into adhesive engagement with the bores 13 which becomeembeddedtherein. Successive 'convolutions of sheet material are applieduntil a body of such material of the proper thickness has been appliedas indicated by the numeral 77. The knife blades 74 are now pressedagainst the material during continued rotation of the drumto sever theband of material between sets of cores 13 and in alignment with theclearance grooves 76. The drum 10 may be retated at a higher velocityduring the cutting operation if desired. v

The provision of the grooves in the drums 10 and 11 assures accuratespacing of the cores with each other and with the knife blades and therefore assures accurate location of the cores with I as respect to themargins of the belts and prevents cutting of the cores due tomis-alignment. The

' adjustment of the drums assures the cores being properly tefisioned'when the rubber is applied and the grooves in the drums permit locationof the cores at one side of the belt. The separated belt bodies areslacked for removal from the drums by rotation of the screw 24 andafterremoval from the drums they are covered with fabric or othercovering material 80' and are enclosed in molds and subjected tovulcanization preferably in molds adapted to press the belts intotrapezoidal form as shown in Fig. 5. Prior to the molding operation thebelt bodies are I turned inside out to bring the cord cores to the"outer periphery of the belt.

' I claim:

" 1. The method of making endless transmission belts which comprisessupporting a pmrality of endless cores in spaced relation, tensioningthe cores, applying a layer of moldable composition to the outer facesof said cores,

and slitting the resulting endless band of material between. cores toprovide a plurality of endless belt bodies.

2. The method of making endless transmission belts which comprisessupporting a plurality of endless cores in groups of parallel cores, ap-

plying alayer of moldable composition to the outer faces of said cores,slitting the resulting endless band of material between groups of drumbeing grooved cores to provide a plurality of endless belt bodies eachcomprising a plurality of cores, applying a cover to each belt body, andvulcanizing the belts so formed.

3. The method of making endless transmission belts which comprisessupporting a plurality of endless cores in spaced relation, tensioningthe cores, adhesively applying a layer of binding 5. The method ofmaking endless transmis- Y sion belts which comprises supporting aplurality of endless cores in. spaced relation, adhesively applying alayer of binding material to the outer faces of said cores, slitting theendless band so formed between coresto provide a plurality of beltbodies, covering said bodieswith a cover, reversing said bodies andvulcanizing the beltsso formed.

6. Apparatus for .makingendless transmission belts, said apparatuscomp'risinga pair of spaced drums for supporting a plurality of beltcores, said drums being grooved to determinate- 'ly position the coresin spaced relation, means for driving one of .said drums, means forforming a sheet of plastic materialover the exposed portions of thecores, and means for slitting the band of material so formed betweenadjacent cores. 4

7. Apparatus for making endless transmission belts, said, app ratuscomprising a pair of 'spaced drums for supporting aplurality of beltcores, said drums being grooved to determinately space said cores, meansfor driving one of saiddrums, pressing means for engaging the materialon said last named drum', and slitting means adapted to slit materialoverlying said cores on said drum between. adjacent cores, said drumbeing grooved, to provide clearance spaces for receiving said slittingmeans.

' 8. Apparatus for I making endless transmission belts, said apparatuscomprising a pair of spaced drums for supporting a pluralityof beltcores, said drums being grooved to determinately space said cores, meansfor driving'one of said drums, means for applying sheet material inadhesive contact with a pluralityoi cores'on said drums, means fortensioning said cores, and

slitting means for severing the applied material A between groups of.cores to provide belt, bodies, said driven drum being formedto clearsaid slitting means. I

9. Apparatus for making endless transmission belts, said apparatuscomprising a pair of coresupporting drums I grooved to determinatelyvspace a plurality of belt cores, means for driving one of said drums,means for applying sheet material to said cores and to partially embedthe cores-in said material, and means for slitting said material betweengroups of cores to provide a plurality of belt bodies, said driven toclear said slitting means,

WALTER B. FREEMAN.

